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Mama (Genesis song)
}} "Mama" was the first single from Genesis' 1983 self-titled album. It is recognisable for its harsh drum machine introduction composed by Mike Rutherford, which leads into minimalist synthesizer lines in minor keys and finally Phil Collins' reverb-laden voice. It remains the band's most successful single in the UK, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It also made the top 10 in Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Ireland and the Netherlands. It was less popular in the U.S., only reaching No. 73 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. |title=Genesis > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles |publisher=Allmusic |accessdate=1 February 2010}} A 1992 re-release of the single managed to reach the Top 40 in Germany. A live drum kit, modified using the gated reverb effect, is used in the final verse. The song resurfaced in 2007 as part of the Turn It On Again tour, albeit transposed down a whole tone to account for the deepening of Phil Collins' voice. Theme The song's theme involves a young man's longing for a particular prostitute. On the DVD The Genesis Songbook, the band and producer Hugh Padgham revealed that the inspiration for Collins's laugh came from rap music pioneer Grandmaster Flash's song "The Message". From the 1983 Genesis Three into One Wavelength 3-LP vinyl radio show interview: Music video The music video for the song plays out the lyrics, showing Collins singing to a mysterious woman while Banks and Rutherford play in the background. One sequence involves Collins, cloaked in shadows and illuminated by a red light (at approximately 3 minutes 30 seconds into the video). When performed live, white lights were shone from underneath the stage to recreate this sequence. Versions and live performances There are at least four versions of the studio recording of "Mama": the original, full-length cut (7:27, released as a 12" single and later as a CD single, backed by the full-length 6:27 version of "It's Gonna Get Better", also from the Genesis album); a somewhat early-faded version (6:46, released on the Genesis album itself); an edited version (6:07, released as a 7" single and on the compilation album Turn It On Again – Best of '81–'83); and a heavily edited version (5:18, released on the promotional video, promo DJ 7" and 12" singles, and the 1999 compilation album Turn It On Again: The Hits). An extremely rare 3:30 and heavy edited version was released on an 1983 Italian promo 7-inch. This remains the shortest edited version of the song. A 10:43 rehearsal take, dating from 1983 and referred to as a "work in progress", is included at the end of the third disc of Genesis Archive 2: 1976-1992. This demonstrated how Genesis would try out new songs; the band would play while Phil Collins would just sing anything that came to mind, normally without actual words. The song was played live during the Genesis,Mama Tour Songs & Dates Invisible Touch,Invisible Tour Songs & Dates The Way We Walk,The Way We Walk Tour Songs & Dates Calling All StationsCalling All Stations Tour Songs & Dates (with Ray Wilson on vocals), and Turn It On AgainTurn it on again Tour Songs & Dates tours. The song also appears in season 7 of Magnum PI episode 5 "Death and Taxes" A live version appears on their albums The Way We Walk, Volume One: The Shorts and Live Over Europe 2007, and their DVDs Genesis Live at Wembley Stadium and When in Rome 2007. The song also appears on the 1984 VHS release The Mama Tour. Chart performance Cover versions "Mama" was covered by the band Magellan on the 1996 Genesis tribute album Supper's Ready. The song was also covered by the French extreme metal band Carnival in Coal and released on their album French Cancan (1999). Brazilian power metal band Angra covered the song on their EP Hunters and Prey (2002). "Mama" was covered by the Finnish heavy metal band Tarot as the second track on the single for "Undead Son", the only single release from their 2003 album Suffer Our Pleasures. Personnel *Tony Banks – keyboards *Mike Rutherford – guitars, bass, drum machine (Linn LM-1) *Phil Collins – drums, percussion, vocals References External links * Category:1983 singles Category:Genesis (band) songs Category:Rock ballads Category:Songs about prostitutes Category:Songs written by Tony Banks (musician) Category:Songs written by Phil Collins Category:Songs written by Mike Rutherford Category:Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Category:1983 songs Category:Atlantic Records singles